


And a Happy New Year

by tarradiddle



Category: Batman: The Animated Series, DCU Animated, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: Christmas, Episode Related, Fluff, Gen, Humor, JLU: Comfort and Joy, Sappy, batfamily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-01
Updated: 2012-12-01
Packaged: 2017-11-20 00:18:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/579202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarradiddle/pseuds/tarradiddle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Batman practically begged for Monitor Duty!”</p>
<p>In which we find out why. Takes place during the Justice League Episode: Comfort and Joy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And a Happy New Year

The Watchtower was silent except for the hiss of air recyclers and the whirr of computer banks. Batman brought a cup of coffee into the monitor area and started checking the standard alert channels when Wonder Woman came in.  
  
“Are you sure about this?” she asked.  
  
“You're going to be late.”  
  
“I'm already late. I can skip the ceremony if you'd like me to stay.”  
  
Bruce turned to face her. “You'll regret it all year if you miss this. Your mother will see to it.”  
  
She laughed at that. “You're probably right. And I do want to go, but I know this is a holiday for your people as well and-”  
  
“Diana.”  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Go.”  
  
She shook her head at him with a smile, saying, “Alright, but call my channel if it gets too lonely up here,” laid a hand on his shoulder briefly, then left.  
  
After Diana's transport left the airlock, Batman finished triple-checking that all the systems were functioning normally. Whenever he took his hands off the keys, silence settled over the station like thick fog.  
  
Christmas Eve, and the monitors were quiet, even in Gotham. Bruce called up a schematic to work on.  
  
An hour passed.  
  
Batman looked up from his work, checked the time, stretched, and changed the setting on the monitor system to relay most information to subsidiary screens throughout the Watchtower. He took his coffee mug into the kitchen area, placed it in the sink, then walked through the observation and lounge areas. Someone had left plates on the table, probably Flash. He brought them to the kitchen. Someone had left the couch and chair cushions in considerable disarray, probably Hawkgirl. He restored each piece to its place.  
  
He checked the monitors again: one disturbance in Central City, but Flash was already there.  
  
His communicator beeped.  
  
“Batman here.”  
  
“All clear?”  
  
Bruce opened an airlock from the control panel. He arrived at the door to the airlock just as the craft settled firmly on the deck, and he quickly re-pressurized the landing bay and entered.  
  
The sleek, dark lines of the Batplane looked oddly out of place in the bright hangar, although the sound of the cooling engine blended with the mechanical hum of the station. Then the hatches opened, and voices rang through the station.  
  
“This is so awesome!” “Hand me that, would you?” “How big is this place?” “Ugh, that was cramped.”  
  
Once all four passengers had extricated themselves from the plane, Batman held up a hand for quiet. “Remember the deal,” was all he said.  
  
Dick smiled, saying, “Relax, I read everyone the riot act again on the way up here.”  
  
“We know, we know, don't break anything” put in Tim. “Alfred sent food with us, where should I put it?”  
  
Barbara held out arms full of packages, “Like it or not, we brought gifts.”  
  
“Don't worry,” laughed Kara, “I told the Kents we went skiing.” She grabbed Barbara, packages and all, and flew toward the door. “Come on, slowpokes!” she called back. The boys glanced at Batman momentarily, then pelted out after them.

  
* * *

  
The next day, Flash arrived on the Watchtower for his shift.  
  
“Hey, Bats! Anything exciting happen while I was gone?”  
  
“You seemed to have Humanite in hand, and there were no other major alerts.”  
  
“Oh, come on, man, you were up here alone for over a day! Don't tell me you sat up here and just did your whole brooding thing. Did you prank call any governments? Try to spot Santa with the cameras?”  
  
“Don't make me question letting you use this equipment.”  
  
“I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Really, though, you must have done something to pass the time.”  
  
“I got caught up on a lot of things.”  
  
 _Dick and Barbara in friendly competition, trying out every piece of work-out equipment in the gym that didn't require flying... and a few that should have._  
  
 _Tim with his head and shoulders in the guts of the Watchtower computer, spotting the pieces of alien tech and figuring out how they connected._  
  
 _Kara laughing, chasing the others around the common space, later just floating in silence by the window like she could breathe the Earth into herself._  
  
 _Carols and laughter echoing over the comlink as the Batplane finally left the hangar to return home._  
  
“Work? Really, Bats, you're the only one who would assign yourself homework for the holidays.”  
  
“It was quiet here. Quite nice, actually.”  
  
“Well, okay. If you say so. Merry Christmas anyway.”  
  
“Merry Christmas.”


End file.
